Black Redstart #21

A last minute decision to go to North Wales proved a good one as the sun shone and we saw some nice birds - a fly by from a Peregrine Falcon within 2 minutes of arriving at the Great Orme, Fulmars, Ravens, Red-throated divers and a Rock pipit. But the highlight was this stunning male Black Redstart at the Copper Mines at the top of the Orme. 
Another easy find as my husband spotted it landing in a tree as we parked up - lucky or what?! I've only ever seen a female, and they are pretty drab being mainly a dull brown, so this male was a real treat. They aren't very common here in the UK, just being here in the winter on passage, with only 20-50 breeding pairs. Most of them breed in South and central Europe, Asia and North West Africa. 

After a quick stop for a piece of cake and a drink we first stopped off at Rhos-on-Sea on the way home. I was looking for Purple Sandpipers and wasn't disappointed - there were two that were sitting on the rocks as the tide came in. These birds are also not that common in the UK either, being found in small numbers anywhere on the coast in the winter in Scotland and northern England. They're rarely found south of Yorkshire though.  It's not often that a Purple Sandpiper will get relegated to extras, but I had to include it as it was in some nice light.
We also stopped off a bit further down the coast at Horton's Nose to see if we could find the Snow Bunting, but were unsuccessful. We did however get a fleeting glimpse of the female Black Redstart that seems to be found there most winters recently. Hopefully we can catch up with the long staying bird at Southport quite soon before it goes back to Scandinavia.